Venetian blind head rail assembly



Sept. 15, 1953 E. E. SCHAEFER VENETIAN BLIND HEAD RAIL ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 29, 1949 Patented Sept. 15, 1953 UNITED STATES-S .itflEliTv OFFICE .This inventionv relates tov an. improved Venetian blind construction and more yparticularly to a novelV head rail assembly for Venetian blinds.

The conventional Venetian blind comprises an upper horizontal rail and av bottom horizontal rail. having two or more, depending ladder tapes extending therebetweenV for supporting the slats of the blind. The upper horizontal rail is known asthe' tiltrail and, as the name implies, is tiltably mounted. on suitable pivots or supports with a cord-operatedY tilting mechanism being operatively connected at one end of the tilt rail for opening or closing the blind. Heretofore, it has been common practice to provide an uppermost supporting head rail having the tilt rail supports, tilting mechanism, and other blind operating mechanism fastened directly thereto and extending downwardly. therefrom with the opposite endsv of the head rail being supported on suitable brackets affixed to the window, door, or other frame structure upon which the blind is installed. In most instances, the headl and tilt rails and the operating mechanism of the blind associated therewith have been concealed from normal view by means of a removable valence supported by portions of the head rail brackets.

Thus, the Venetian blinds heretofore extensively employed have required the use of a plurality of separate parts including a head rail, a valence, and a pair of special brackets for supporting the head rail and valence. In addition, it has been necessary for the Venetian blind manufacturer to. construct the head rail n and` valance to nt each. particular installation and to rivet or otherwise iixedly secure the operating mechanism in the desired location on each head rail with the result that in many cases a large inventoryA of different sized parts has been required inl order to iill orders for doors and Windows of varying size Without expensive timeconsuming operations. In other cases, the manufacturer has had to incur a substantial investment in expensive cutting and milling machinery in order toassemble each blind from readily available standard materials.

It is desirable, especially in the case of metal Slat blinds, to provide a simple and inexpensive head rail structure which can be fabricated and assembled from readily obtainable metal parts, whichv can be quickly and easily installed, and which provides an attractive all-enclosed appearance without the need for separate Valances or other concealing devices.

. Accordingly, a primary object of my invention is to provide a novel and greatly simplified head rail assembly for Venetian blinds in the form of a housing directly mountable adjacent the framework of a window, door, or the like, and adapted to receivev the tilt.4 rail and operating mechanism of the blind in normally concealed relation therein.

Another object of the: invention is to provide a novel head rail assembly for Venetian blinds in the form of a channel-shaped structure serving both as a support for the tilt rail of the blind and as a concealing valance for the upper portion of the blind".

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel head rail structure for Venetian blinds to which the operating mechanism of the blind may be quickly and easily assembled by means of a plurality of. slidably'fitted and interchangeable parts.

An additional object ofthe invention is to provide a novel head rail assembly for Venetian blinds in which the bodyl of the assembly is adapted to be. formed from sheet metal in any desired commercial lengths which can be readily cut to` iit a Venetian blind of a particular width and thev operating mechanism readily secured thereto Without the use of tools.

Still another object of. the invention is to provide a novel head rail structure for Venetian blinds which may be assembled by the Venetian blind manufacturer with only a very few simple mechanical operations requiring no investment in special cutting or milling machinery and without the necessity of. maintaining a large inventory of parts forblinds of varying size.

A stillv further objecty of the invention is to provide a novel. Venetian blind4 head rail of simplied design which can beA constructed by simple .cutting and assembling operations using standard lengths. of: readily obtainable metal parts.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of the upper portion of a Venetian blind including a head rail assembly comprising one specic embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front view of the head rail assembly shown in Fig. 1 with the parts thereof in exploded or detached relation and with the central portions broken away;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged end view of, the head rail assembly as viewed from the right end in l; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a detachable element of the head rail assembly seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

In Fig. 1, I have illustrated the upper portion of a Venetian blind lassembly wherein the head rail structure of my invention is in the form of a downwardly opening housing or enclosure designated generally by the reference numeral A horizontal tilt rail l2 is pivotally supported within the head rail structure by means of a pair of tilt rail supports disposed vat opposite ends of the head rail structure and indicated generally at I3 and 4. The tilt rail support 3 includes a tilting mechanism I6 which is operable in the conventional manner by a cord |1 for tilting the rail I2 to open or close the blind. Adjacent the tilt rail support |4 is a cord-locking mechanism I8 for retaining the blind in any desired raised position. A pair of depending ladder tapes i8 are fastened at their upper ends to the tilt rail I 2 for supporting a plurality of horizontal slats 2!! as will be well understood by those skilled in the art. Raising and lowering cords indicated at 2| extend downwardly from the tilt rail l2 through the slats 20 and the opposite ends of these cords extend along the tilt rail I2 and pass through the cord-locking mechanism I8 for operation of the blind in the conventional manner.

As will be more clearly understood from Figs. 2 and 3, the head rail assembly I I comprises an elongated inverted channel member 22, formed preferably from sheet metal, and having a flat top wall or central portion 23 with depending side walls 25 and 26 at the front and rear of the blind whereby to provide a generally U-Shaped cross-sectional configuration. The elongated oppositely disposed bottom edges of the side walls 25 and 25 are rolled or turned inwardly, as indicated at 21, to provide smooth neat-appearing retaining beads.

The tilt rail supports I3 Iand I4 include a pair of generally U-shaped metal supports or clips, designated generally by the reference numeral 28 (Figs. 2 and 4), which are adapted for insertion in the opposite open ends of the channel member 22, the clip members each having a base or central portion 28 and depending sides 3| of such dimensions as to permit a snug sliding fit of the clip members 28 within the channel member 22. The bottom edges of the sides 3| are also rolled or turned inwardly, as at 32, and when the head rail is in assembled condition the rolled edges 32 of the clip members 28 are received within and snugly embraced by the inwardly turned edges 21 of the sides 25 and 26 of the channel member 22, as best seen in Fig. 3. In addition, when the structure is assembled, the central portions of the sides 3| of each of the clip members 28 are sprung or bowed inwardly in spaced relation from the sides 25 and 26 of the channel member 22, as shown at 33 in Fig. 3. The clip members 28 are thereby secured in position within the channel member 22 by means of the substantially concentric retaining engagement of the complementary rolled edges 21 and 32 and also by the resilient tension of the bowed sides 3| causing the central portions 29 of the clip members to be pressed tightly against the corresponding top wall 23 of the channel member 22.

Each of the clip members 28 has rigidly carried thereon a tilt rail supporting bracket which, in the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, extends downwardly from the base 29 of the clip member for receiving and supporting one end of the tilt rail |2. As hereinbefore mentioned, the tilt rail support |3 at the left-hand side of the blind as viewed in Fig. 1 includes a bracket in the form of a tilting mechanism I6 of a conventional type, the adjacent end of the tilt rail I2 having a projecting stud 34 (Fig. 2) extending into the tilting mechanism |6 in operative eng-agement therewith. The opposite end of the tilt rail |2 has pivotally mounted thereon the cord-locking mechanism I8, the details of which form no part of the present invention, and a similar projecting stud 36 is journaled in a tilt rail supporting bracket 31 comprising part of the tilt rail support I4 at the right end of the blind as viewed in Fig. 1. The bracket 31 is rigidly secured, as by a pair of rivets 38, to the base 29 of the clip member 28 (Fig. 3), and it will be understood that the tilting mechanism or bracket I6 is rigidly fastened in a similar manner to the clip member 28 at the other end of the blind. The stud 36 is freely rotatable in the bracket 31 and may be readily detached therefrom, by means not shown in detail in the drawing, for inserting or removing the tilt rail I2.

It will be seen that the head rail structure may be readily assembled merely by inserting the preassembled clip members 28, having the tilt rail supports I6 and 31 rigidly affixed thereto, into the opposite ends of the channel member 22, the clip members 28 being received in a generally telescopic relation within the channel member 22 and being retained in place at the ends of the channel member by the resilient pressure of the bowed side portions 3| and the close fitting engagement of the rolled edges 21 and 32.

One of the principal advantages of my invention is the fact that the channel member 22 may be fabricated in standard commercial lengths which the manufacturer of Venetian blinds may readily cut to any desired length as needed to fit a Venetian blind of a particular width. The clip members 28 with the tilt rail supports or brackets riveted or otherwise rigidly fastened thereto may be constructed as individual units at the factory by simple cutting, bending, and riveting techniques and may be purchased by the blind manufacturer in such preassembled form. These units are obviously adapted to be fitted interchangeably into channel members of varying lengths, so that the Venetian blind manufacturer, once having determined the overall dimensions of the blind being assembled, simply cuts a standard section of channel member to the desired length and slides a pair of preassembled clip members into the open ends of the cut channel member. Once the clips 28 and their supported mechanism have been moved to the desired position laterally of the channel housing, nothing further need be done except to assemble the operating cords and tapes in the usual manner. No auxiliary means are required to maintain the clips in position as that is accomplished by the tight friction fit of the clips in the channel as above described. Thus, the only equipment needed to assemble the head rail structure is a suitable cutting tool for cutting the channel member to the desired length thereby eliminating the need for relatively elaborate metal-working machinery heretofore required to assemble head rail structures of more complex design. Inasmuch as standard commercial lengths of channel member can be readily and simply cut to iit the particular blind being assembled, it is unnecessary vfor the manufacturer of Venetian blinds to maintain a large inventory of different sized parts. To assemble theA head rail structure herein disclosed he need merely keep on hand a supply of thev preassembledV clip members and standard commercial lengths of channel member.

in the structure shownin the drawing, the cord-locking mechanism E8 isshown as a ti-ltable portion of the tilt rail i2 but it is manifest that it could be constructed as a separate unit and secured to the base wall 2&3 of a clip 23, and the entire unit slidably mounted in the housing. The same would be true of other blind operating mechanism.

In the installation of the blind, the channel member 22 may be drilled with suitable holes on any one of its iiat sides for mounting the head rail on a window frame, door frame, or other supporting framework. If desired, the channel members 22 can be provided by the metal fabricator with a plurality of preformed apertures in order to simplify installation. It will be seen that upon installation the head rail assembly of my invention provides a greatly simplied unitary structure for tiltably supporting the tilt rail of the blind and at the same time functioning as a housing or valance for concealing the upper portion of the blind from normal view.

Although the invention has been described in detail with respect to one specirlc structural embodiment, it will be understood that various modifications may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as deiined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A head rail assembly for Venetian blinds comprising an elongated open ended channel member of generally U-shaped cross section having its oppositely disposed longitudinal edges turned inwardly, and tilt rail supporting means including a pair or detachable iJ-shaped clip members slidably fitted into the opposite ends of said channel member, said clip members having their base portions in contact with the base portion of said channel member and their oppositely disposed free edges received within and engaged by the inwardly turned edges of said channel member and said clip members also having their side portions bowed inwardly under resilient pressure for resiliently retaining said clip members snugly within said channel member.

2. A head rail assembly for Venetian blinds comprising an elongated channel member of generally U-shaped cross section adapted to be rigidly mounted adjacent a supporting framework with the channel member opening downwardly, and tilt rail supporting means associated with said channel member and including a pair of detachable U-shaped clip members having tilt rail bracket means rigidly aiiixed to the base portion of the clip members and extending outwardly therefrom in a direction parallel to the side portions of the clip members, said clip members being slidably fitted into the opposite ends oi said channel member with the base portions of the clip members in snug tting relation against the top portion of the channel member, said channel member and said clip members having their oppositely disposed free edges rolled upwardly with the upturned edges of the clip members being received within and supported by the upturned edges of the channel member in substantially concentric relationship, and the side portions of the clip membersbeing bowed inwardly in a resilient manner for pressing the clip members upwardly within said channel member 'and thereby resiliently retaining said clip members inplace.

3. A head rail assembly for Venetian blinds and' the like, comprising an elongated channel member of generally U-Shaped cross section including a base portion, oppositely disposed side portions, and inwardly turned edges at the outer ends of said portions, and means for detachably mounting blind-operating or supporting mechanism within said channel member including at least one support member slidably insertable at one end of said channel member and tted in the latter, said support member having a base-engaging portion bearing against the base portion of said channel member and having spaced therefrom oppositely disposed projecting portions received within and engaged by the inwardly turned edges of said channel member, at least one of said members having a distortable resilient portion and the distance between the base-engaging and projecting portions of said support member being such as to eect resilient coaction of said support member with said channel member whereby said support member is frictionally retained in place in said channel member solely as a result of resilient pressure therebetween.

4. A head rail assembly for Venetian blinds and the like, comprising an elongated channel member of generally U-shaped cross section including a base portion, oppositely disposed side portions, and inwardly turned edges at the outer ends of said side portions, and means for detachably mounting blind-operating or supporting mechanism within said channel member including at least one support member slidably insertable at one end of said channel member and fitted in the latter, said support member having a base-engaging portion bearing against the base portion of said channel member and having spaced therefrom oppositely disposed projecting portions received within and engaged by the inwardly turned edges of said channel member, the distance between the base-engaging and projecting portions of said support member being such as to cause resilient engagement between said inwardly turned edges of said channel member and said projecting portions of said support member whereby said support member is frictionally retained in place in said channel member solely by resilient pressure exerted on 1- said support member between said base portion and said inwardly turned edges.

5. The device of claim 4 further characterized in that said support member comprises a U- shaped clip member having its base portion bearing against the base portion of said channel member and its oppositely disposed free edges received within and engaged by the inwardly turned edges of said channel member.

6. The device of claim 4 further characterized in that said means for detachably mounting blind-operating or supporting mechanism within said channel member comprises a pair oi detachable U-shaped clip members slidably fitted into the opposite ends of said channel member with the base portions of the clip members bearing against the base portion of said channel member and the free edges of the clip members being received within and engaged by the inwardly turned edges of said channel member.

7. The device of claim Ll further characterized in that the edges of said channel member are rolled inwardly and said support member comprises a U-shaped clip member having its base portion bearing against the base portion of said channel member and having its oppositely disposed free edges also rolled inwardly with the rolled edges of said clip member being received substantially concentrically within the rolled edges of said channel member.

EDWARD E. SCHAEFER.

References Cited in the flle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Morse et al July 11, 1939 Sherwood Nov. 9, 1943 Olsen Nov. 5, 1946 Nelson Nov. 30, 1948 Krauss Apr. 11, 1950 Charbonneau May 2, 1950 Stuber Dec. 12, 1950 

